The Baddest Man on the Planet Francis Ngannou is set to defend the title for the first time against the interim champion Cyril Gane at UFC 270 on January 22. This fight will be the last on Ngannou’s contract so he’s pushing hard to open up big payday opportunities.
Ngannou signed an eight-fight contract with the UFC back in 2017 after scoring a
terrifying knockout win against fAlistair Overeem. Ngannou went 0-2 after signing the contract but then redeemed himself with a 5 fight win spree.
If he were to lose to Gane on Jan. 22, he would become a free agent . On the other hand if he were to emerge victorious it’s likely the UFC would use the champions clause to auto extend his contract. This extension covers either three fights or one year.
Ngannou stated that without a new deal on hand, he would hold out on accepting any new fights.
He also stated that he would not fight under the current contract and looking forward to
renegotiating some terms on new contract.
“I will not fight for $500,000 [or] $600,000 anymore. It’s over. I took this fight for personal reasons, because I want to make sure that regardless of [whether] it’s fair, I can make my case that I have completed the fights.”
The Cameroonian also added his desire to make a crossover to boxing while under the new contract with the UFC.
“We’ve been having discussions for years. It seems like they are OK with it. Let’s be honest, I do believe that whatever you are doing–whatever the event is–if the UFC is involved, it’s just going to make it bigger. There is no question. So, yes, if I box, I would like the UFC to be on board.”
The UFC seems to be irked by some of Ngannou’s terms. They failed to reach a new
deal in spite of multiple efforts.
UFC president, Dana White said
“You don’t always come to terms with people. Listen, if you want to be with us, we’d love to have you. If you don’t want to be with us, no problem. All good.”
But while White may claim this – he’s more of a figurehead as of late. The real power lies with UFC CFO Hunter Campbell .
Francis Ngannou is known for his devastating strikes and explosive knockouts. After
suffering back-to-back decision losses against Stipe Miocic and Derrick Lewis, he rode a
five-fight KO/TKO win streak to claim the UFC heavyweight championship in a rematch against
former foe Stipe Miocic.